Performances through January 31st. The performance schedule is: Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8:45PM with late shows on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 10:45PM. There is a $50 cover charge with no minimum required. Dinner is served from 6:30PM. (Excellent Kitchen & Service). For reservations please call 212-570-7189. Visit www.thecarlyle.comfor additional information.

Ute Lemper, international star of stage (Chicago, Cabaret, Cats) and screen (Pret-A-Porter), is unlike any other cabaret performer. In a select-world where anyone who puts together a group of songs (and that can be rock, pop, or obscure show tunes) can label it “cabaret,” it is a pleasure to see a colossal talent like Ms. Lemper, who is at once an historian, comedian, sex-goddess, actress and dancer — if we omitted anything please accept our apologies.

Lemper may be blond, of German descent, and exhibit a deliciously androgynous quality, but that is where the comparison with Marlene Dietrich ends. Here is a performer that can tease, taunt and tickle even the most jaded pessimist’s funny bone in a heartbeat.

Lemper must be the only mainstream cabaret performer who would have the chuspa to sing her opening number in Yiddish. Her antique velvet coat later gives way to a black gown revealing lots of bare skin and straps that cling lasciviously to a figure that can only be described as “Oh my God!”

Leper’s musical program, “VOYAGE,” is a journey through the sleepless cities and places of the world, between yesterday and tomorrow, either right here or somewhere at the end of the world…in music, poetry or silence – between war and peace…through the glossy upper world and the not-so-glossy underworld of whiskey bars and lost souls.

The journey includes musical reflections in Yiddish, Hebrew, Portuguese, Arabic, German, French and, of course, English. She saunters through sleepless nights of Brel and Piaf and includes the obligatory walk on the Weill side. There are also excursions with such offbeat contemporary writers as Tom Waits, Nick Cave and Elvis Costello. Alas, her weakest moment is an ill-conceived “September Mourn," an ode to 9/11 that is more interesting for its accompaniment than its message. All of Lemper’s arrangements and backup are first rate, thanks to Vana Gierig on piano, Mark Lambert on acoustic guitar and Todd Turkisher on creative drums. The diva and emissary of the Weimar epoch and political satire, Lemper, is not so vain as to sacrifice facial grimace, bridging on the macabre, when necessary. But nothing is done for effect. Each movement; every magical moment is delivered with precision and a raison d’etre.

Would any challenge daunt Ms. Lemper? I doubt it. She even achieves the near impossible mating of "Alabama Song" ("The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny") and "All That Jazz" ("Chicago"). It is part of a pre-closing medley that is riveting and the perfect set up for a quick change back to her opening outfit with the addition of a bowler hat. As if from the mist of an impressionistic painting, the haunting strains of the French composer, Erik Satie’s most famous piano composition (Gymnopédie No. 1 (1888)), segue to “Mac the Knife.” It is performed, as you have never heard it performed before. But then, in Ute Lemper’s world, that’s de rigueur.

FEINSTEIN’S AT LOEWS REGENCY, the nightclub proclaimed “Best of New York” by New York Magazine and “an invaluable New York institution” by The New York Post will continue its Spring 2012 season with the debut of Broadway and Hollywood legend, JANIS PAIGE for two nights only on May 20 and May 21. For her one-woman show, Paige shares favorite songs and recounts tales from her lifetime in show business — from achieving a dream of Hollywood stardom to her leading roles on Broadway, the famous people who influenced her life and career, her personal and professional triumphs, and the losses and laughs of a long and highly-successful career. A veteran of the stage and screen, Ms. Paige takes her audience along for a revealing, poignant, witty and unforgettable journey. Ms. Paige will appear for two shows only at the Loews Regency Hotel (540 Park Avenue at 61st Street).

JANIS PAIGE is the consummate entertainer, whose career spans every facet of show business, from film and theater to television and nightclubs. She’s made her mark from Hollywood to Broadway and countless cities in between, stealing the hearts of millions in hundreds of performances and appearances over seven decades. Ms. Paige’s film career includes critically-acclaimed turns opposite Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse in Silk Stockings, and a flashy role in the comedy Please Don’t Eat the Daises. She co-starred in films including Bachelor in Paradise, Romance on the High Seas, The Caretakers, and Follow the Boys, Welcome to Hard Times, starring opposite film greats like Bob Hope, Doris Day, Lana Turner, Joan Crawford, David Niven and Henry Fonda.

Her first Broadway hit came in 1951, when she starred opposite Jackie Cooper in the Lindsay and Crouse comedy, Remains to Be Seen. Three years later, she returned to Broadway in the Tony Award winning musicalThe Pajama Game, followed by Meredith Willson’s Here’s Love. She then garnered rave reviews after replacing Angela Lansbury in the smash hit musical, Mame. Ms. Paige has enjoyed a thriving cabaret career, headlining major nightclubs and supper clubs around the country with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Alan King, Joe E. Lewis, Milton Berle, Liberace, Tony Bennett, Vic Damone, Dinah Shore, and many more.

Ms. Paige starred in her own television series, “It’s Always Jan” (1955-1956), co-starred with Richard Crenna and Bernadette Peters in “All’s Fair (1976),” starred as Art Carney’s wife in the Mystery Movie Theater series“Lanigan’s Rabbi” (1977), as Dick Van Patten’s sister on the beloved family series “Eight Is Enough” (1977-1980), and the sitcom “Baby Makes Five” (1983) starring Peter Scolari. Her guest turn on “All In The Family”(1976- 1978) as the sultry waitress who almost tempted Archie Bunker into an extra marital affair created such a stir with viewers that she was called back to reprise the role. In the last season of “Trapper John, M.D.”(1986), she played a recurring role as the beautiful and mature hospital administrator, Catherine Hackett.

FEINSTEIN’S AT LOEWS REGENCY will present JANIS PAIGE on Sunday, May 20 and Monday, May 21 at 8:00 PM. All shows have a $40.00 cover with $60.00 premium seats available. In addition, there is a $25.00 food and beverage minimum. Jackets are suggested but not required. The club is located at 540 Park Avenue at 61st Street in New York City. For ticket reservations and club information, please call (212) 339-4095 or visit us online at Feinsteinsatloewsregency.com and TicketWeb.com.

Philip Seymour Hoffman, currently in rehearsal for the role of Willy Loman in Arthur Miller’s DEATH OF A SALESMAN, was nominated today for a British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award for Supporting Actor for The Ides of March. The winners in 24 categories will be announced at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden in London on February 12.

The Gershwins’ PORGY AND BESS, which began previews on Saturday, December 17th, opens tonight, Thursday, January 12th, 2012 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre (226 West 46th Street, between 8th Avenue and Broadway). Tickets are on sale at Ticketmaster.com or by calling 877-250-2929 or by clicking the link below

The Gershwins’ PORGY AND BESS comes to Broadway in a stunning and stirring new staging, featuring such legendary songs as “Summertime,” “It Ain’t Necessarily So,” and “I Got Plenty of Nothing,” plus a remarkable cast led by four-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald (Ragtime, “Private Practice”), Drama Desk nominee Norm Lewis (Les Misérables, Sondheim on Sondheim) and two-time Tony nominee David Alan Grier (Race, “In Living Color”). The classic story by DuBose and Dorothy Heyward is set in Charleston’s fabled Catfish Row, where the beautiful Bess struggles to break free from her scandalous past, and the only one who can rescue her is the crippled but courageous Porgy. Threatened by her formidable former lover Crown, and the seductive enticements of the colorful troublemaker Sporting Life, Porgy and Bess’ relationship evolves into a deep romance that triumphs as one of theater’s most exhilarating love stories

Best known for his record-setting performances as the Phantom in The Phantomof the Opera on Broadway, Howard McGillin has enjoyed a varied career on both Broadway and London stages. Mr. McGillin, has a winning way with his audience and a lovely and cultured tenor voice that has made him the quintessential leading man in theatre.

At his eagerly awaited Oak Room debut, (From September 13-24), McGillin presented an evening of love songs that aptly answered the question, “Isn’t It Romantic?” Howard offers a program, with appealing patter, that explores a variety of romantic experiences, highlighted by a rendition of “All The Things You Are,” (Jerome Kern/Oscar Hammerstein II) that was simple and without embellishments, proving that a great song needs nothing more than to be sung with sensitivity to make its point.

A combined arrangement of “A Foggy Day IN LONDON TOWN” (George and Ira Gershwin) and the lovely “A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square” (Eric Maschwitz; Manning Sherwin; Jack Strachey) gives Howard the opportunity to fill us in on his adventures, when living in London, and a neat duo pairing, a rollicking “SHE LOVES ME” (Sheldon Harnick; Jerry Bock) with a subtle version of “Dear Friend” (Sheldon Harnick; Jerry Bock) from the same show, allows Mr. McGillin to demonstrate his dramatic range and vocal finesse.

The high point of the evening was a stunning rendering of “Putting It Together” (Stephen Sondheim) that was eclipsed by the beyond-beautiful “Good Thing Going” (Stephen Sondheim), demonstrating that some of the best theater songs come from shows that are less than memorable.

Beautifully accompanied by Joseph Thalken at the piano and Richard Sarpola on bass, Howard McGillin is easy to like, easy to listen to and brings a thoroughly pleasant evening of entertainment to the Algonquin’s legendary Oak Room.

Shows are Tuesday through Thursday at 8:30 pm and Friday and Saturday at 8:30 and 11 pm. There is a $50 cover charge plus either a $60 dinner at 7 or $30 food and beverage minimum. Reservations: 212 419 9331 or bmcgurn@algonquinhotel.com.

In her Oak Room debut August 30, brilliant young actress singer Emily Bergl, star of Broadway (Nora Ephron’s "Love, Loss and What I Wore,"), film (“The Rage: Carrie 2”) and TV’s Royal Pains and Desperate Housewives, roars into the Oak Room with more gusto than Hurricane Irene in the her exhilarating act: ”Kidding on the Square.”

A theatrical cabaret-act that transports the audience on a fast-paced ride through love, heartbreak and everything in between, ”Kidding on the Square” is told from the perspective of a modern girl and the eccentric characters she inhabits,

Something old (the Boswell Sisters “We Just Couldn’t Say Goodbye”; something new (Peter Brown & Robert Rans “Material Girl" by way of Madonna); something borrowed ( "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart" as an evolving Judy Garland); and something blue (as in Bergl’s deliciously compelling version of “Billy Barnes jazz classic Something Cool,”); the show features a rich array of songs that include Roy Orbison’s “Cryin’,” Fats Waller’s “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” a poignant characterization of Rodgers & Hart’s “Ten Cents a Dance as a down-and-out hostess,” Dietz & Schwartz’ Confession” and an unexpected opening number, interpreting Noel Coward’s “Mad About the Boy” with a serious bent: the lady gets truly angry.

In ”Kidding on the Square,” Bergl does what she does best, which in the case of this hour and fifteen minutes appears to be everything. It comes as no surprise that her acting, where, comedic, dramatic or character is a paragon of perfection, but she looks terrific is a slinky gray “pull apart” gown, that becomes a sexy dress and finally morphs into leotards and tights. Her movement is as controlled as possible in these small quarters. But the big kicker is the voice: A luscious lyric soprano that can go into a metallic chest, when the material demands, as in an hilarious rendition of the vintage Andrews Sisters“Bei Mir Bist Du Schön” that is worth the price of admission.

High points test Ms. Bergl’s. comedic, dramatic and vocal abilities, which she passes with grade “A” marks. Memorable Moments: Pink Martini’s song "Sympathique" from the 1997 album Sympathique, and you needn’t speak French to get the nuanced meaning.”

Kidding on the Square” is beautifully directed by Sarna Lapine with G. Scott Lacy as musical director and receives outstanding backup from pianist Jonathan Mastro (Musical director of the hit revival of "Our Town,)" with the talented Ritt Henn on bass and ukulele.

After a fun closing (“Dream a Little Dream of Me,”) Ms. Bergl encores with a heart-wrenching version of the Peggy Lee hit “Is That All There Is.“ And indeed, this is one of the few times in recent memory, we felt that way too about a cabaret act: Absolutely electrifying and not to be missed. Reserve now! The show will run through Saturday September 10th.

Shows are Tuesday through Thursday at 8:30 and Friday and Saturday at 8:30 and 11 pm. The cover charge is $50 per person plus either a $30 food and beverage minimum or a $60 prix fixe dinner. Reservations: 212 419 9331 or bmcgurn@algonquinhotel.com

Note: The new menu features an amazingly tender and moist Berkshire pork chop that is in step with making the Algonquin kitchen on a par with the atmosphere, entertainment and service one encounters in this truly great New York institution.